Textile combing



July 8, 1952 s. ABBOTT 2,602,194

TEXTILE COMBING v 2 Sl-lEETS-Sl-IEET 1' Filed May 11, 1948 S. L. ABBOTT TEXTILE COMBING July 8, 1952 2 SHEETS-Sl-!EET 2 Filed May 11, 1948 viewed from the end of the pins.

Patented July 8, 1952 TEXTILE COMBING Samuel L. Abbott, Wilton, N. H., assignor to Wilton Top Company, Inc., Milford, N. 11., a corporation of New Hampshire Application May 11, 1948, Serial No. 26,249

4 Claims. ((1 19-116) In the French or Heilmann combing machine,

the top comb serves not only to separate the fibers of the web as these fibers are drawn through the top comb, but more important, the top comb removes minute particles of undesirable extraneous materials such as straw and nibs. Mere division of the web of fibers by passage between pins is not of itself sufficient to remove these particles, and indeed the web has previously been divided several different times by passage between pins before coming to the French comb, for instance during preceding passage through a gill box. The removal of the minute particles in the final combing by the top comb of French combing machine is accomplished by providing very fine spaces between pins, through which spaces the fibers, but not the particles of extraneous material, can be drawn.

Thus the pins of a top comb are typically formed with, non-tapered or cylindrical base portions extending part way along the length of the pins, and tapered portions extending from the non-tapered portions to sharp points at the extremities of the pins. The non-tapered base portions of the adjacent pins of a row of these pins abut, and. the tapered portions of such pins define between them combing spaces which taper to zero width where the non-tapered base portions abut. The pins, as they extend down from the base portion of the comb, make an obtuse angle with the approaching fibrous web} and so tend to divert a. fiber carrying extraneous particles upwardly toward the base of the comb until such fiber arrives at a level where the combing space between tapered portions of the pins approaches or approximates the size of the fiber itself. The fiber at thismoment may pass through a space which may be only .002 inch or less in width, which results in application ofthe maximum. combing eiTect, and the removal of the extraneous matter from the fiber.

Among the objects of-the present invention are to secure an improved combing action, to avoid breakage of pins, and to permit satisfactory use of coarser pins than otherwise practical for a given combing operation. 7 i

The use of coarser pins in an ordinary l-Ieil-= mann combing machine tends to reduce pin breakage, but results in reduction in the number of the combing spaces at which the extraneous particles can be removed. This may be counterbalanced by fitting the machine with a second similar comb, and the points of the pins of one comb can be staggered with relation to the points of the pins of the other comb, as Two successive divisions of the web of fibers are thus made.

Butwhether the pins of the two combs are staggered or not. the number of combing spaces suitable for the removal of extraneous particles (1'. e. the spaces between the tapering portions of neighboring pins of each row, of a size of the order of a fiber thickness) is only equal approximately to the total number of pins of. the two combs, or more precisely given fineness of pins) can be secured with two rows of pins if the pins of one such row are laterally offset from the pins of the other such row and not only have their base portions abutting base portions of pins of the same row butalso abutting base portions of pins of the other such row. Thus tapered spaces are provided not only betweenadjacent pins of such one row but also between pins of such one row and laterally offset pins of the other saidrow. Preferably the pins of each of the two rows are identical and have their base portions abutting base portions of pins of the same row and base portions of the pins of the other said row, and preferably each interior pin of one row has its base portion abutting base portions of the two adjacent pins of the same row and also the base portions of two other pins of the other row.

With the improved relation of the pins, the pins of the two rows not only mutually support and reinforce each other but also provide an increased number of combing spaces. In a preferred example of the invention, considering a particular interior pin, that is a pin anywhere excepting at the end of a row, this pin cooperates in forming not only the two combing spaces which the pins of Heilmann combs ordinarily form with their neighbors, but also two additional combing spaces. These two additional combing spaces are formed between this particular interior pin and the two staggered pins of the other row whose bases also abut the base of this particular pin.

Thus with this relation of the pins the numher of combing spaces is equal to approximately twice the total number q flpins, or more precisely ber of combing spaces invention in operative position as the top comb. of a Heilmarm combing machine, and showing also the detaching rollers that draw the. web. of fibers through the comb and, the shovel, plate that guides the web of fibers to thelcombg Fig. 2 is a face view of one of'the pins of the comb;

Fig. 3 is a face view of a small portion 'o'f" the comb, and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the comb, the points. of. the p ns of. the comb facing the oberverinthisview. v

.Injthe Heilmann combing machine of which a portion is, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1, the

top. comb C. to which the present, invention is shown. as applied, penetrates the Web of fibers filornzthej top as. the web is drawn from a shovel plate P through and beyond the comb by detaching rollers R, R. The combs pins, extending downwardly from the base of the comb make an. obtuse angl with the upper surface of the approachingfibrousweb W so that when'an extraneons particle on a. fiber engages the comb, the pins tend to divert such fibers upwardly towardthebase of the combas above described.

The comb is formed. of a large number of separately.- formed steel pins of. which. onev is indicated generally by the reference character I in Fig. 2. Each of the pins, which are preferably identical, includes, a nonrtapered or cylindrical base portion} extending for about, one-half the length of the pin, and a tapering portion. 3 of roundcross, section extending from such base portion to a sharp. c'intv Asshown in, Figs. 3 and 4, the. pins. are assembled. intWQ rows. As shown. in. these. figu the interior pins of each. row consistently have their base portions tangentially abutting the base portions of the adjacent pinsof. the row,

so, thatat the base the row of pins is solid, the,

pins of each, row are. laterally offset from the pins, of the other row, and, the base portions of interior pins. of, each row, such as the rear row, consistently tangentially abut the, base portions of. two ofthe pins of the other rQ.W,, such as the frontrow. A typical pin in the interior of the comb, for instance in the. rear row, has its base portion tangentially abutting the, base portions of twoother pins of the rear row and also has its, base. portion tangentially abutting the. base portions. of two laterally offset pins of. the front row..

Tapered. combing spaces all having substantially the same shape are. provided not only between. the tapered portions of adjacent pins of each. row but also between, the tapered portions otthe pins of one row and the tapered portions of, the. adjacent laterally offset pins of the other row.

In Fig. 4 four adjacent pins of. one row ar .marker la,, lb, l0. and Id andth'e four correspending. abutting. and. laterally offset, pins of a second'row are marked le, If, lg and in. As viewed in Fig.- 4 the points oftwo abutting pins of. one; row, e. g. pins Id, lb, and ofthe mutually abutting pin. le of the other row define the corners of: an, equilateral triangle. Obviously tapered; substantially uniformlyhaped combing 4. spaces are provided between the following pairs of pins of one row:

Iii-lb lb-lc lc-ld and between the following pairs of pins of the other row:

But also,- in. addition to the above combing spaces, there is an additional similar combing space provided between each pin and the pin of the abutting row that is offset to the right thereof, as

lw-le and another additional similar combing space between each pin and the pin of the abutting row that is offset to the left thereof, as

As a result, as indicated above, the number of combing spaces is more than twice the number of the combing spaces provided when two combs or spaced rows of pins are used.

As a result of the invention, fine combing, which in the usual Heilmann combing machine requires fine pins, 'can now be performed by a comb having considerably coarser pins and hence much stronger and less subject to breakage.

Even with coarser pins, the great increase in number of combing spaces so promotes thorough combing that improved combing can be secured even using coarser pins than usual.

It will be observed from Figs. 3 and 4 that the base portions of the pins abut over a considerable portion of the length of the pins, and it will be evident that the mutual support of the pins contributes toward their resistance to breakage.

The separately formed pins can be held in assembled abutting relation by any desired means, preferably by soldering, as by soldering them to the top combing plate T of the Heilmann machine diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1.

Pins of a top comb in a Heilmann combing machine are customarily cleaned at each stroke of the comb by passage past a brush that sweeps any extraneous material from their tapered combingv spaces, and the comb of the present invention is capable of being cleaned by this same means.

I claim:

1. A textile comb for removing extraneous particles from fibres including two rows of separately formed pins having cylindrical base portions and tapered combing portions of round cross section, the interior pins of each row substantiallyconsistently having their cylindrical base portions tangentially abutting the cylindrical base portions of two other pins of the same rowand two other pins of the other row so that the pins reinforce each other, the points of two abuttingp'insv of one row andv of the mutually abutting pin of the other row defining the corners of, an equilateral triangle.

2., A textile comb for removing extraneous particles from fibers including two rows. of separately, formed pins having cylindrical base portions and tapered combing portions of round cross section, the interior pins of each row substantially consistently having their cylindrical base portions tangentially abutting the cylindrical base portions of two other pins of the same row and two other pins of the other row so that the pins reinforce each other, the tapered combing spaces formed by two adjacent pins of one row, the tapered combing spaces formed by two adjacent pins of the other row, and the tapered combing spaces formed by two adjacent pins of the two different rows, all having substantially the same shape.

3. In a textile combing, machine, a comb including two rows of separately formed pins having cylindrical base portions and tapered combing portions of round cross section, said pins being arranged to make an obtuse angle with an approaching fibrous web as they extend from the base of the comb so as to tend to divert fibers carrying extraneous particles toward the base of the comb, the interior pins of each row substantially consistently having their cylindrical base portions tangentially abutting the cylindrical base portions of two other pins of the same row and two other pins of the other row so that the pins reinforce each other, the points of two abutting pins of one row and of the mutually abutting pin of the other row defining the corners of an equilateral triangle.

4. In a textile combing machine, a comb including two rows of separately formed pins having cylindrical base portions and tapered combing 6 portions of round cross section, said pins being arranged to make an obtuse angle with an approaching fibrous web as they extend from the base of the comb so as to tend to divert fibers carrying extraneous particles toward the base of the comb, the interior pins of each row substantially consistently having their cylindrical base portions tangentially abutting the cylindrical base portions of two other pins of the same row and two other pins of the other row so that the pins reinforce each other, the tapered combing space formed by two adjacent pins of one row, the tapered combing spaces formed by two adjacent pins of the other row, and the tapered combing spaces formed by two adjacent pins of the two difierent rows, all having substantially the same shape.

SAMUEL L. ABBOTT.

REFERENCES :CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 864,184 OConnell Aug. 2'7, 1907 1,408,438 Bricka Mar. '7, 1922 1,727,803 Barker Sept. 10, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,116 Great Britain of 1848 

